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How to cook Quinoa

Quinoa is a brilliant, tasty sub grain, packed with both protein and fibre – and it’s also gluten-free.

Dress simply while still hot with lime or lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a little sea salt and black pepper, and you’ve got the foundations for a delicious meal. Nutty and fluffy, it’s a great alternative to rice, served with chicken or fish, or livened up with simple, fresh ingredients to make a satisfying salad.

But with so many different grains out there, each with their own cooking method, it can be confusing to know how to cook each one properly for ultimate flavor and texture. Never fear, we’ve got quinoa covered! Follow our easy step-by-step guide below, then check out this quinoa, feta & broad bean salad recipe to turn it into a delicious lunch.

PERFECT QUINOA STEP BY STEP

Rinse the quinoa under cold running water to remove its bitter flavour

Tip into a pan and add double the amount of salted water

Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil

Reduce to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender and the liquid is absorbed

Fluff it up with a fork, then pimp itYou might have some leftovers? …… Cold, leftover quinoa is a brilliant filler in nut roasts or veggie burgers, too.

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add quinoa. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl; cool completely. Stir spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and green onions into quinoa. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until blended. Drizzle over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Refrigerate until serving.

Rinse the quinoa and drain well.
Put the quinoa in a dry pan and set on fire.
Stirring leaves you dry quinoa.
When the quinoa as well as dry you pour a little olive oil and stir through.
Toast the quinoa in about 10 minutes until crisp and golden.
Stir occasionally intervening to make the quinoa cooks evenly and puffs and prevent burn in this way.
When you hear the quinoa literally puffing you know that the quinoa is ready.
Taste it first cautious one and if you quinoa crunchy and delicious than you spoon the quinoa on a plate and let cool.

Quinoa, the sacred “mother grain” of the ancient Inca civilisation suppressed by Spanish conquistadors, could become an increasingly important food source in the future thanks to genetic secrets revealed in a new study.

Scientists said they have mapped the genome of quinoa and identified a gene that could be manipulated to get rid of the grain’s natural bitter taste and pave the way for more widespread commercial use.

Quinoa already grows well in harsh conditions such as salty and low-quality soil, high elevations and cool temperatures, meaning it can flourish in locales where common cereal crops like wheat and rice may struggle. But the presence of toxic and bitter chemicals called saponins in its seeds has been one of the impediments to extensive cultivation.

Plant scientist Mark Tester of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia said the research pinpointed a gene that guides production of saponins in quinoa. This knowledge could enable breeding of quinoa without saponins, to make the seeds sweeter. Currently, quinoa grain must be processed through washing and drying after harvest to remove saponins.

“Quinoa is currently greatly under-utilised,” said Tester, who led the research published in the journal Nature. “It is highly nutritious, with a high protein content that, importantly, has a very good balance of amino acids, which is unusual for our major grains. It is gluten free and high in vitamins and minerals, too.”

Increased quinoa production could improve food security on a planet with unrelenting human population growth, Tester said. There are potential disadvantages to reducing saponins, perhaps increasing susceptibility to fungal infections or bird predation, Tester added.

Quinoa, which boasts a nutty flavour, can be used the same ways as rice and wheat. It can be cooked and served on its own, turned into pasta, put in soups, eaten as a cereal or fermented to ake beer or chicha, a beverage of the Andes. The crop was sacred to the ancient Incas, who called it “chisoya mama,” or the “mother grain.”

Cook ½ dry quinoa in 1 ½ cups of water until the quinoa is nice and fluffy about 15 minutes.
Combine the milk with the vinegar and set aside for a few minutes. Meanwhile sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and combine.
In the bowl with the milk add the maple syrup, vanilla and oil and stir well.
Add the quinoa to the dry ingredients and combine the liquids with the dry ingredients and mix.
Heat a pan with vegan butter or coconut oil and drop 3 tbsp worth of batter into the pan. Cook until bubbles form on the top and the sides turn brown, then flip and cook for another minute on medium heat.
Serve on a plate and drizzle with syrup if you like.